Going to Nebraska to find perfect hunting dog, Kenya

Of all the memorable things from this year's swing through South Dakota and Nebraska, after pheasants and ducks respectively, it has to be the dog that is at the top of the list.

And mind you, the list the dog tops is not too shabby, at least by our standards.

I mean, the dog finished in front of our first experience with sharptail grouse.

That's a strange bird with the look of a giant quail, the flight characteristics of a dove and the eating qualities well above either.

Think really big quail flying into a field just as dove do, and then imagine more meat and a better flavor once you get him in the pan.

And the dog finished in front of the seared mallard breasts, which were nothing like any duck we've ever had.

Downed in the morning along the North Platte River, not far from Scottsbluff, Neb., they were cooked a few hours later.

Rare, sliced thin and served with a mustard sauce to a table full of hungry hunters. Better than the best beef tenderloin.

The dog even finished in front of the pheasants. And that was a hard thing to do as the birds were abundant.

South Dakota was still green. No frost yet to kill back the crops. But still, the dog stood out.

Now the fact of the matter is that I've had no real knowledge of hunting dogs.

Seen a few so called "quail" dogs work 20 plus years ago, and been in a duck blind a couple of times with retrievers (30 plus year ago). But the dog we hunted with there on the Platt River was something completely different.

Her name is Kenya, a rather small 3-year-old black Lab rated by the United Kennel Club as a Hunting Retriever Champion.

Keith guides for the folks at Cheyenne Ridge Lodge out of their location in Scottsbluff.

I don't have enough words to do justice to how well trained Kenya is, but imagine this.

She sits rock solid at the shot. In the case of a double, she waits for direction as to which duck to get first. Kenya will dive under to get a bird that is trying to swim and responds to hand and voice commands better than most children.

The whole time, she smiles.

Most impressive was her retrieval of a bird that locked up when hit and then glided a good 40 yards beyond the far bank of the river. It finally crashed down in some very thick brush.

There was no way she could tell where it went. In fact, from where she was sitting she could not have even seen it when it was hit.

The best Keith could do when he sent her across the river was a rough guess as to it's location.

The brush was so thick that Kenya had to hop up to see Keith's commands.

When Keith determined that she was in about the right spot, Kenya was told to look for the bird.

She started a circular search that ultimately resulted in more seared duck breast.

It loses something in the telling, but suffice to say, it was just amazing.

And after watching Kenya work it easy to believe Keith when he says that he'd rather "watch the dog work than hunt."